This invention relates to emergency shelters for protection against tornados, hurricanes, floods, fire, earthquakes, burglary, bombs and other hazards.
A variety of emergency shelters previously have been site-constructed of cement, steel, fiberglass and other materials for particular uses. Others have been manufactured in an assembled condition for particular applications. None are known to be site-assembled from matching parts as taught by this invention.
Examples of different but related emergency shelters are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,178, issued to Aubert on Mar. 18, 1997, described a tunnel-like structure made of corrugated metallic half shells. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,166, issued to Qualline, et al. on Sep. 11, 1990, described a tornado underground shelter having a truncated spherical form. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,360, issued to Kuehnl on Feb. 21, 1989, described an underground supply room for supplying goods and services to vendors in a retail outlet above it in a parking lot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,334, issued to McCarthy on Apr. 28, 1987, described a blast shelter with a separate command station. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,158, issued to Thornton on Oct. 7, 1986, described a mobile-home tornado shelter with a ladder leading from a trailer lot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,144, issued to Gustafsson, et al. on Aug. 13, 1985, described an underground bomb shelter with cellular storage compartments. U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,220, issued to Boniecki, et al. on Oct. 19, 1965, described an "ovaloid" or egg-shaped shelter. U.S. Pat. No. 288,354, issued to Mileham on Nov. 13, 1883, described a cylindrical cyclone refuge.
Regardless of catastrophic damages that occur from tornados, hurricanes, floods, fire, earthquakes, burglary, bombs and other hazards, relatively little protection against them is provided because of variously prohibitive problems with present protection alternatives. The most expensive alternative is insurance which is designed for replacement compensation instead of prevention of irreplaceable losses from major hazards.